Illegal Gaming Ring Raided by Bulgarian Officials

Over the weekend, a well-organized illegal sports betting operation using offshore sports books to enable illegal wagering on domestic and international soccer matches was raided by more than 120 Bulgarian officials from the Computer Crimes, Intellectual Property and Gambling section of the Organized Crime Directorate General.

The illegal operation provided about $3,000 per day in revenue for the ring and may have been directly connected to some Bulgarian soccer clubs. In the bust, authorities discovered and confiscated an undisclosed amount of cash, 20 computers, 37 cell phones and a small amount of cocaine.

The swoop made it clear the Bulgaria is serious about enforcing new online casino games legislation. Laws were passed recently making it mandatory for Internet Service Providers to block unlicensed online casino games sites. These sites are determined by a government blacklist.

The new legislation has proved controversial, as free speech advocates believe that any type of governmental blacklist is cause for concern in a former Communist country. Advocates have requested that the president of Bulgaria veto the online casino games legislation for this reason.

Online casino games and top rated online casinos became legal in Bulgaria in 2008. Government officials believe that new online casino games legislation will create about $67 million in annual revenue. The goal is to put about half of that money into a variety of youth sports programs.